Nithya Raman, a Los Angeles City Councilmember, has received an endorsement from the local chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA-LA) as she competes against incumbent Mayor Karen Bass in the upcoming mayoral election. The endorsement was announced on Wednesday following an online vote by over 1,400 DSA-LA members, with 937 members voting in favor of supporting Raman, 484 against, and 52 abstentions.
This endorsement positions Raman within a progressive coalition as she heads into the November runoff. Raman finished second in the June mayoral primary with approximately 28.5% of the vote, narrowly ahead of reality TV personality Spencer Pratt. Mayor Bass secured first place with 34% to 35% of the vote.
The Bass campaign has swiftly utilized the DSA-LA endorsement, with spokesperson Alex Stack stating that Raman now fully owns positions on public safety funding and police matters. "Nithya Raman said kids aren’t safer if an encampment is 500 feet away from a school and voted repeatedly to cut basic public safety funding to make LA safer," Stack said. "Those are positions she now fully owns as she tries to flip-flop and convince voters otherwise."
Raman's campaign acknowledged the endorsement by thanking DSA for "joining our broad coalition of Angelenos" and added a DSA logo to her website's endorsements section. Raman has been a member of the DSA since before her 2020 City Council campaign, which was the first time the group supported a candidate elected to the council.
Political strategists suggest the endorsement could present a challenge for Raman in a general election. "I think this is a negative for Nithya. The DSA is helpful in a Democratic primary, not a general election," said Democratic strategist Michael Trujillo. He added that the endorsement might alienate voters not aligned with the DSA's platform.
Conversely, strategist Matt Klink suggested that Bass has an opportunity to frame the election as a choice between "progressive Democrat values and radical socialist ideology." Klink also noted that Raman "needs the election to be a referendum on Karen Bass," but that the DSA endorsement "clearly comes with strings attached as well as policy expectations if she were to win the mayor’s race in November."
The DSA is expected to provide campaign resources and volunteers to Raman's campaign. The endorsement arrives as the DSA and its allies have seen national electoral successes, including mayoral wins in New York City, Washington D.C., and Seattle, along with numerous primary victories.
Raman's policy positions, particularly on policing, have evolved since her 2020 campaign, where she advocated for "Defund the police." Earlier this year, she stated that Los Angeles should not lose more officers and argued the department was understaffed. The Post had inquired about Raman's stance on specific DSA positions, including expropriating private housing, abolishing tenant background checks, eliminating qualified immunity for police, obstructing ICE raids, and creating a public city bank, but her campaign did not provide comment on these specific issues.